The body of Christ. Just what does that mean to us? And why is it important? The Bible clearly teaches the body of Christ is the church. I was looking at few articles and blogs from people who say they love Jesus but hate the church. What an interesting concept. Is that possible? According to Barna Group, nearly half of all those in America who self -identify as Christian are unchurched.[1] Those among this group that hate the church make up nearly 10% of our population.[2] Biblically speaking, what they are really saying is “I hate Jesus,” because the church is Jesus’ body, his physical present on earth.
Colossians 1:18 (NKJV)
Colossians 1:24–29 (NKJV)
Dr. Helen Roseveare (1925-2016), a British medical doctor, has served more than twenty years in the Congo, Africa (1953-1973) with Worldwide Evangelization Crusade. For twelve and a half years she had a frenetic but generally wonderful time serving as the only doctor to an area containing more than half a million people (today probably close to 3 million). But in 1964 revolution overwhelmed the country, and she and her coworkers were thrown into five and a half months of almost unbelievable brutality and torture. On one occasion when Dr. Roseveare was on the verge of being executed, a seventeen-year-old student came to her defense and was savagely beaten as a result. He was kicked about like a football and left for dead. Dr. Roseveare was sick. For a moment she thought that God had forsaken her, even though she did not doubt his reality. But God stepped in, overwhelmed her with the sense of his own presence, and said something like this: “Twenty years ago you asked me for the privilege of being a missionary, the privilege of being identified with me. These are not your sufferings; they are my sufferings.” As the force of that hit home, the doctor said she was overcome with a great sense of privilege. Helen Roseveare’s sense of identification with Christ, of union with him, was elevated by her suffering, and she rejoiced.[3]
In today’s passage, Paul will talk about his suffering, but this message is not about suffering, though as Christians we can expect to suffer for our faith. It is so much deeper, that once we realize the very mystery of Gospel, the mysteries of God that have been revealed to us, suffering as a Christian will be bearable and Paul said He even rejoiced in his sufferings!
Colossians 1:18 (NKJV) And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
The first phrase I want to draw attention to is: “the body, the church”
Whose body is this? That would be Jesus’ body. Jesus’ body here on earth is His church. And make no mistake, it is not our church, it is His church.
Matthew 16:18a (NKJV)
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH
As the church belong to Jesus, He is the head. “And He is the head of the body, the church,” The Greek word use here for head in usage can also mean the source and origin as well as the leader and ruler. This is further illustrated by: “who is the beginning” not just the beginning of all things, as the previous verses illustrate, but the beginning of the resurrection: “the firstborn from the dead” Jesus was not the first to be risen from the dead. We know Jesus raised Lazarus, but Lazarus lived only to die again.
Jesus is the first to be raise from the dead, never to die again.
1 Corinthians 15:20 (NKJV) But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
And because of Jesus, we have the hope of the resurrection. And as such: “that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Jesus is first in all things, In everything we say and do, it needs to be centered on Jesus. It always and only about him. This will be illustrated a bit later. But for now, we need to grasp the fact the “Jesus is all in all.” (Col 3:11)
Philippians 2:10–11 (NKJV) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus is first and all of creation will acknowledge that one day. The key is, who will acknowledge this now? If Jesus heads up all of creation, how much more so the church, His body acknowledge this fact. But we constantly take away from Him. It becomes our programs, our ways, our interests, and our focus is removed of the Head, which is Jesus. In verse 19 we read the very fullness of God the Father is in Him:
Colossians 1:19 (NKJV) For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
All of God the Father dwells in Jesus. Jesus is God! Now with keeping in mind that Jesus is the head of the body, let’s move on to our next verse in today’s focal reading.
Colossians 1:24 (NKJV) I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
In the Greek, verses 24 through 29 in one long run-on sentence. A typical Pauline sentence resembles a series of Russian dolls: the main, or “outer” clause yields to a series of subordinate, or “inner” clauses. So here. The sentence that began in v. 24 continues into this verse: “I rejoice in what I am suffering … and I fill up in my flesh … for the sake of his body, … the church, of which I am a servant … by the commission … to fulfill the word of God, which is the mystery.…” As this paraphrase indicates, Paul defines the word of God in v. 25 as the mystery. [4] It is this mystery that is the focus, when we open the last doll we will uncover the prize. Bear with me as we examine this passage.
Notice Paul is rejoicing in His sufferings. Paul didn’t ask when he was made an Apostle, “What is in it for me?” or “What am I going to get out of it?” Rather by his life we can see the question was “What will God allow me to put into it all?”
“fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” Afflictions here does not refer to the suffering of Christ on the cross. In fact, in the Bible, the very word afflicted is never used in referring to Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Afflictions here refer to the hurts that Christ endures after His resurrection. "How can that be?" you say. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, how can He be afflicted? Paul was guilting of afflicting Jesus and Jesus called Him on it while he was on the Damascus Road on his way to prosecute Christians.
Acts 9:4 (NKJV) Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Paul, then Saul, was trying to destroy the church. What did Saul ever do to Jesus directly? Saul attack the church which Jesus said is a direct attack on Him. Paul was rejoicing that he should be suffering for the sake of the body, which is the church. Paul’s attitude is Jesus took the blows meant for me; I’ll take the blows meant for him. Suffering brings about an identification with the Savior that nothing else can. [5]
Philippians 3:10 (NKJV) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
To identify with Jesus to the world, should bring joy, it also brings responsibilities as we are being a witness to Him. Think about it, we may be the most Jesus anyone ever sees. And it may involve suffering for Him.
Colossians 1:25 (NKJV) of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
Paul was given the responsibility to be a minster, a steward of God’s word, to fulfill the word – to declare the full counsel of the scriptures and God’s revelation to the body, which is the church.
Colossians 1:26 (NKJV) the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
And what is that mystery? The Old Testament spoke of it but know one understood. It was as if it was written in code. We see it now, as we interpret the OT Scriptures in light of the New Testament. Mystery here does not mean like a puzzle to be unraveled like a murder mystery novel. Mystery mean a secret, a divine secret that was kept hidden, and now it is being told. More than this, it is revealed to the saints. Saints mean the holy ones. Who are the holy ones? Those are the true believers, living out the word of God, those that make up his body, the church. That’s you and me. The mystery has been revealed to us. And what is the mystery? Now we open the last doll.
Colossians 1:27 (NKJV) To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
There it is, “Christ in you.” It is important that you see what is not said. It does not say “Christ among you,” but rather is plainly says, “Christ in you.” What is also significant here is that Christ is in the Gentiles, not just the Jews, God’s chosen people. Paul talks about how the Jews rejected Jesus, opening the door to the Gentiles in Romans 9-11. But here is the mystery, It is all about Jesus. And Jesus is in you. Jesus is in me. And we make up the His physical body on earth, the church. When we catch hold of the significance of this, we begin to see how Jesus is all in all. Being in Christ makes all things new:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Being in Christ, we become righteous in the eyes of God:
Romans 8:10 (NKJV) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
And because of Christ is in us, we will experience and share in His glory:
Colossians 3:4 (NKJV) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
And it is to this end that Paul preached.
Colossians 1:28–29 (NKJV) Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
"Him we preach." That is Jesus. Paul’s message was Christ. Clearly Paul conceived of the hope as Christians resting in a Person. The gospel is not a system, hierarchy, or set of regulations. It is the person and work of Jesus, which is, indeed, the message.[6]
Paul didn’t preach politics or social justice. He preached Jesus. Jesus is the message, Jesus is the gospel. It is Jesus in you, it is Jesus in me, the mystery of Scripture which the world fails to grasp, and we as Christians fail to see. We have very power of the universe within us. And we together make up His body, the church.
Do people see Jesus when they see us? Jesus said without Him, we could do nothing.
John 15:5 (NKJV) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Are you living on your own or is Jesus taking preeminence in all things. As I have said before, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, it is all about Jesus. Have you made it all about Jesus. That is the secret, that is the mystery. Jesus in you. It is all about Him. And we are His body, the church.
[1] https://www.barna.com/research/state-church-2016/
[2] https://www.barna.com/research/meet-love-jesus-not-church/
[3] R. Kent Hughes, Colossians and Philemon: The Supremacy of Christ, Preaching the Word (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 45–46. And https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Roseveare
[4] Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2008), 155.
[5] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 285.
[6] Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 242.
