Understanding the Body of Christ in Scripture

1. BODY OF CHRIST  The Church • All in NT Epistles • BRIDE OF CHRIST  Israel  Jerusalem • All OT • Except for 1 reference in John and 5 in Revelation • All pointing to Israel or Jerusalem

2. When we think of scripture and how it is organized, we tend to think Old Testament and New Testament and create a mental division based on that thought. • But, if we take scripture as a whole – Old and New Testament - we see contained in the whole a different division – one of focus or perspective. • How much of the Bible was written directly to the Church? • How much of the Bible was written directly to Israel?

3. Scripture clearly shows that God deals with Israel in a special, unique way • from the way he deals with the rest of the world • in terms of relationship, promises and destiny. • Keeping the Biblical focus in view, we will find that from Genesis (Torah / Pentateuch) through the Gospel of John, Israel is the audience in view. • Then, Acts provides a transition from Israel to the Church - Jew and Gentile alike who are ‘new creations’ believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord. • From Romans to Philemon, the Church – worldwide – is the direct audience. • Then comes Hebrews, a transition back from the worldwide Church back to a focus on believing Israel based upon Paul’s gospel. • From James through Revelation, Israel is again the primary audience of the letters. • This does NOT imply that the Church can ignore or minimize the portions having Israel as the primary audience or vice versa. All of Scripture is necessary for all of us. • It is interesting to note that in the portion directed primarily to Israel – any relation to Christ is referred to as ‘the Bride’ or in a marriage context • In the ‘Church’ letters, that relationship is called the “Body of Christ”

4. OLD TESTAMENT GENESIS EXODUS LEVITICUS NUMBERS DEUTERONOMY JOSHUA JUDGES RUTH 1 SAMUEL 2 SAMUEL 1 KINGS 2 KINGS 1 CHRONICLES 2 CHRONICLES EZRA NEHEMIAH ESTHER JOB PSALMS PROVERBS NEW TESTAMENT Bible Perspectives MATTHEW MARK LUKE JOHN ISRAEL ACTS ROMANS 1 CORINTHIANS 2 CORINTHIANS GALATIANS EPHESIANS PHILIPPIANS COLOSSIANS 1 THESSALONIANS 2 THESSALONIANS 1 TIMOTHY 2 TIMOTHY TITUS PHILEMON ECCLESIASTES SONG OF SOLOMON ISAIAH JEREMIAH LAMENTATIONS EZEKIEL DANIEL HOSEA JOEL AMOS OBADIAH JONAH MICAH NAHUM HABAKKUK ZEPHANIAH HAGGAI ZECRARIAH MALACHI ISRAEL CHURCH ISRAEL HEBREWS JAMES 1 PETER 2 PETER 1 JOHN 2 JOHN 3 JOHN JUDE REVELATION ISRAEL

5. BODY CHRIST 18 verses found, 40 matches Romans 3 verses found 6 matches 1 Corinthians 3 verses found 9 matches 2 Corinthians 2 verses found 5 matches Ephesians 3 verses found 6 matches Philippians 1 verse found 2 matches Colossians 4 verses found 8 matches 1 Thessalonians 1 verse found 2 matches Hebrews 1 verse found 2 matches Rom 7:4Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Rom 8:10If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Rom 12:5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 1Co 10:16Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 1Co 12:12For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 1Co 12:27Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.

6. BODY CHRIST 18 verses found, 40 matches 2Co 5:10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2Co 12:2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third heaven. Eph 3:6to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, Eph 4:12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; Eph 5:23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. Php 1:20according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

7. BODY CHRIST 18 verses found, 40 matches Col 1:24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Col 2:5For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. Col 2:11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; Col 3:15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 1Th 5:23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heb 10:10By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

8. Bride 21 verses found, 21 matches Song of Solomon 6 verses found 6 matches Isaiah 3 verses found 3 matches Jeremiah 5 verses found 5 matches Joel 1 verse found 1 match John 1 verse found 1 match Revelation 5 verses found 5 matches Son 4:8-12"Come with me from Lebanon, mybride, May you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, From the summit of Senir and Hermon, From the dens of lions, From the mountains of leopards. "You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, mybride; You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace. (10) "How beautiful is your love, my sister, mybride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices! (11) "Your lips, mybride, drip honey; Honey and milk are under your tongue, And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. (12) "A garden locked is my sister, mybride, A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.

9. Bride21 verses found, 21 matches Son 5:1"I have come into my garden, my sister, mybride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers." Isa 49:18"Lift up your eyes and look around; All of them gather together, they come to you. As I live," declares the LORD, "You will surely put on all of them as jewels and bind them on as a bride. Isa 54.4-84 “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; and do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. 6 “For the LORD has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” says your God. 7 “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 “In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

10. Bride21 verses found, 21 matches Isa 61:10I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isa 62:1-51 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. 2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate. 3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; but you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. 5 For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.

11. Bride21 verses found, 21 matches Jer 2:32"Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me Days without number. Jer 3.14 ”Return, faithless people,” declares the LORD, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion (). Jer 7:34"Then I will make to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land will become a ruin. Jer 16:9For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I am going to eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride. Jer 25:10'Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

12. Bride21 verses found, 21 matches Jer 31.31-3331 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Jer 33:11the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, "Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting"; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,' says the LORD.

13. Bride21 verses found, 21 matches Ezekiel 16:1-63Hosea 3:1-5 Hosea 2.14-2014 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her. 15 “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 “It will come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “That you will call Me Ishi and will no longer call Me Baali. 17 “For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more. 18 “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety. 19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, 20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD. Joe 2:16Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. [ cf: Isa 26:20??]

14. Bride 21 verses found, 21 matches • Joh 3:29"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. [ cf: Mat 9:15; Joh 15:14-15] • Friend of the bridegroom [Vincent’s Word Studies] • Or groomsman. The term is appropriate to Judaea, the groomsmen not being customary in Galilee. • See Mat 9:15, where the phrase children of the bridechamber is used. (See on Mar 2:19). • In Judaea there were two groomsmen, one for the bridegroom, the other for his bride. • Before marriage they acted as intermediaries between the couple; • At the wedding they offered gifts, waited upon the bride and bridegroom, and attended them to the bridal chamber. • It was the duty of the friend of the bridegroom to present him to his bride, • after marriage to maintain proper terms between the parties, and • especially to defend the bride's good fame. • The Rabbinical writings speak of Moses as the friend of the bridegroom who leads out the bride to meet Jehovah at Sinai (Exo 19:17); an • The Baptist represents himself as standing in the same relation to Jesus.

15. Bride 21 verses found, 21 matches • Rev 18:23and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. • Rev 19:5-9 NASB • (5) And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." • (6) Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. • (7) "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bridehas made herself ready." • (8) It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. • (9) Then he *said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he *said to me, "These are true words of God.” • Rev 21:2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a brideadorned for her husband.

16. Bride 21 verses found, 21 matches • Rev 21:9-11 NASB • (9) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." • And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, (11) having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. • It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. • Rev 22:17The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

17. Other allusions • 2 Cor 11:1-4 NASB • (1) I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. • (2) For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I[PAUL]betrothed you[CORINTHIAN BELIEVERS] to one husband,[PAUL’S GOSPEL ???] so that to Christ I[PAUL] might present you[CORINTHIAN BELIEVERS] as a pure virgin. [NO MENTION OF A BRIDE] • (3) But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. • (4) For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

18. Other allusions • Gal 4:24-26 NASB • (24) This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. • (25) Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. • (26) But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.

19. Other allusions • Eph 5:23-30 NASB • (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. • (24) But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. • (25) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, (26) so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (27) that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. • (28) So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; (29) for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, (30) because we are members of His body.

20. Jerusalem married • Isa 62:1-5 NASB • For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. (2) The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of the LORD will designate. (3) You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God. (4) It will no longer be said to you, "Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said, "Desolate"; But you will be called, "My delight is in her," And your land, "Married"; For the LORD delights in you, And to Him your land will be married. (5) For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you. • Isa 62:11-12 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him." (12) And they will call them, "The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD"; And you will be called, "Sought out, a city not forsaken.“ • Rev 21:1-2 NASB • (1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

21. Wife 330 verses found, 364 matches Most refer to a literal man and woman as husband and wife, others as a metaphor for the relationship between God and His people Israel Genesis 90 verses found 99 matches Exodus 9 verses found 11 matches Leviticus 11 verses found 12 matches Numbers 8 verses found 9 matches Deuteronomy 22 verses found 25 matches Joshua 2 verses found 2 matches Judges 24 verses found 26 matches Ruth 4 verses found 4 matches 1 Samuel 17 verses found 17 matches 2 Samuel 9 verses found 11 matches 1 Kings 13 verses found 14 matches 2 Kings 3 verses found 3 matches 1 Chronicles 14 verses found 14 matches 2 Chronicles 5 verses found 5 matches Ezra 1 verse found 1 match Nehemiah 1 verse found 1 match Esther 3 verses found 4 matches Job 3 verses found 3 matches

22. Wife 330 verses found, 364 matches Most refer to a literal man and woman as husband and wife, others as a metaphor for the relationship between God and His people Israel Psalms 2 verses found 2 matches Proverbs 7 verses found 7 matches Isaiah 1 verse found 2 matches Jeremiah 4 verses found 4 matches Ezekiel 7 verses found 7 matches Hosea 3 verses found 4 matches Amos 1 verse found 1 match Malachi 2 verses found 3 matches Matthew 15 verses found 15 matches Mark 7 verses found 8 matches Luke 14 verses found 15 matches John 1 verse found 1 match Acts 5 verses found 5 matches 1 Corinthians 13 verses found 19 matches Ephesians 4 verses found 5 matches 1 Timothy 3 verses found 3 matches Titus 1 verse found 1 match Revelation 1 verse found 1 match

23. Old TestamentThe congregation • Exo 12:3; • Exo 12:6; • Exo 12:19; • Exo 12:47; • Exo 16:1-2, • Exo 16:9-10; • Exo 16:22; • Lev 4:13; • Lev 4:15; • Lev 10:17; • Lev 24:14;

24. New TestamentThe Church • Mat 16:18; • Mat 18:17; • Act 2:47; • 1Co 11:18; • 1Co 14:19; • 1Co 14:23; • 1Co 14:28; • 1Co 14:33-35, • 1Co 15:9; • Gal 1:13

25. Believers: Variety of names • As a collective body of believers the church is given a variety of names in the Old Testament and in the New Testament which describe its different aspects. • Assembly of the saints, Psa 89:7 • Assembly of the upright, Psa 111:1 • Body of Christ, Eph 1:22, Eph 1:23; Col 1:24 • Branch, planted by God, Isa 60:21 • Bride of Christ, Rev 21:9 • “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife” • Church of God, Act 20:28 • Church of the living God, 1Ti 3:15 • Church of the firstborn, Heb 12:23 • City of the living God, Heb 12:22 • Congregation of saints, Psa 149:1

26. Believers: Variety of names • Congregation of the Lord’s poor, Psa 74:19 • Family in heaven and earth, Eph 3:15 • Flock, God’s flock, Eze 34:15; 1Pe 5:2 • “I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD” Eze 34:15. • “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” 1Pe 5:2. • Fold, Christ’s fold, Joh 10:16 • General assembly of the firstborn, Heb 12:23 • “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” • Golden candlestick, Rev 1:20 • God’s building, 1Co 3:9 • God’s husbandry, 1Co 3:9 • God’s heritage, Joe 3:2; 1Pe 5:3

27. Believers: Variety of names • Habitation of God, Eph 2:22 • Heavenly Jerusalem, Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22 • Holy city, Rev 21:2 • Holy mountain, Zec 8:3 • Holy hill, Psa 2:6; Psa 15:1 • House of God, 1Ti 3:15; Heb 10:21 • “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” 1Ti 3:15. • “And having an high priest over the house of God” Heb 10:21. • The God of Jacob, Isa 2:3 • House of Christ, Heb 3:6 • Household of God, Eph 2:19 • Inheritance, Psa 28:9; Isa 19:25 • Israel of God, Gal 6:16 • “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God”

28. Believers: Variety of names • Kingdom of God, Mat 6:33; Mat 12:28; Mat 19:24; Mat 21:31 • Kingdom of heaven, Mat 3:2; Mat 4:17; Mat 10:7; Mat 5:3; Mat 5:10; Mat 5:19, Mat 5:20 • His kingdom, Psa 103:19; Psa 145:12; Mat 16:28; Luk 1:33 • My kingdom, Joh 18:36 • Thy kingdom, Psa 45:6; Psa 145:11; Psa 145:13; Mat 6:10; Luk 23:42 • Lamb’s bride, Rev 22:17 • Lamb’s wife, Rev 19:7-9; Rev 21:9 • Lot of God’s inheritance, Deu 32:9 • Mount Zion, Heb 12:22 • Mountain of the Lord’s house, Isa 2:2 • New Jerusalem, Rev 21:2 • Pillar and ground of the truth, 1Ti 3:15 • “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth”

29. Believers: Variety of names • Place of God’s throne, Eze 43:7 • Pleasant portion, Jer 12:10 • Sanctuary of God, Psa 114:2 • Spiritual house, 1Pe 2:5 • “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” 1Pe 2:5. • Strength and glory of God, Psa 78:61 • Sought out, a city not forsaken, Isa 62:12 • The Lord’s portion, Deu 32:9 • Temple of God, 1Co 3:16-17 • 16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” • Temple of the living God, 2Co 6:16 • Vineyard, Jer 12:10; Mat 21:41