Our Union with Christ - The Head of the Body

Is “The Fellowship of the Mystery”

 

By Arthur J Licursi

Col. 1:18-20 And he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness (repletion) dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile (fully) all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

In “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2), Christ is the Head of the Body, which is the church. There was no “church, which is His body” (Eph 1:22b, 23a) in previous dispensations. We today are “branches,” “vessels,” “temples,” “slaves,” “body members,” of and for Christ who manifests Himself by His nature in us, through us, and as us, as we enjoy our spirit union with Him.

The New Testament uses many metaphors to describe our union with Christ, but, the term “body of Christ” is not a metaphor, since it literally is true. Let’s consider some of these metaphors.

·  In John 15:1 Christ is seen as the vine tree and we are the branches. This speaks of our utter dependence upon the flow of His life that is made possible by our union with the resurrected “Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a, 1Cor 15:45, 6:17, 2Cor 3:17a), which came by our having received Christ.

 

·  In Romans 11:17 Christ is seen as the root of the tree, and in Isa 53:2 He is the prophesied “root out of dry ground”. He alone is the root life-source who is not dependent upon any external supply. Jn 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Thus, by our union with His Spirit in our spirit (1Cor 6:17), we may find a fully sufficient Christ to be our all, both now and for eternity.

 

·  Paul writes of the one loaf of the body of Christ in … 1 Cor. 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. How do we interpret the one bread with the One body? This “one bread” is a metaphor for the reality of the one body of Christ. Paul is the only writer who uses the term “body of Christ”; this is because it is part and parcel of the mystery (secret) gospel that was revealed to him by the ascended, celestial Christ (Gal 1:12), for us (Eph 3:1). We, who are of “the church, which is his body” are those who have been regenerated in the time of “the dispensation of the grace of God”; we are the one bread in full union with the “the bread of life” Himself (John 6:48). He is our inner content as the One who constitutes this one bread, entirely.

Here Paul uses the loaf of bread and the constituent unity of each grain of milled wheat, as a metaphor to demonstrate the union we have with Christ and each other by our becoming constituted with Christ as our life-content. He is in us, as the many individual grains of wheat constituting the loaf, and by this He then is also the whole bread.

We each contain all of Christ’s Spirit, by which we are complete (Col 2:9-10). Jesus said, God does not give His spirit “by measure” (Jn 3:34). He, with His life and nature, indwells each of us individually, yet he is not divided in parts. He is totally in each of us, and yet also He is in us together as His whole body. As there are many individual grains of wheat in one loaf of bread, there are many members of the One Body of Christ, which is the church collectively.

This union by Christ indwelling each believer as their life is what Paul calls the “fellowship of the mystery” that was revealed to Him, to be explained to us. Ephes. 3:8-9 Unto me (Paul), who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; ⁹And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

This “fellowship” in Greek is “koinonia”, meaning a participatory partnership. We participate in this partnership of life, since we are living members of the body of Christ. We have consciousness and free will such that we may or may not co-operate within the very real living union relationship we have with Christ. In that union we have the sense of His life in us prompting or restraining us form within in a normal life way – Paul writes of this union in this way. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God…

The “fellowship of the mystery” is the union that comes not by simply receiving Jesus of Nazareth, but by receiving the crucified and resurrected Jesus into our very being- “Christ according to the revelation of the mystery (secret gospel)” (Rom 16:25) that Paul preached. Paul’s mystery (secret) gospel, succinctly stated, is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:26-27).

Paul here in Eph 3:9 also tells us the proclamation of this union with Christ is Paul’s commission – it was his work, given to Him by the ascended Christ. Paul says he was commissioned “to make all men see what is the fellowship (or union) of the mystery”. That fellowship or union is the crowning purpose of Christ birth, death, and resurrection. Christ became the life-giving (1Cor 15:45) out of His resurrection (2Cor 3:17a), such that He as the “Spirit of life” then could be received by every man – into their human spirit. Now, by His indwelling and our union with Christ, as being one in spirit, we also are living expressions of the fellowship of the mystery that permits all men to see “the fellowship of the mystery”.

We must come to agree with Paul who wrote 2 Cor. 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore we do not preach the God-man Jesus of Nazareth and all that He said or did in His earthly ministry. Rather, we preach the fruit of the cross – Christ in His celestial ministry. That message is Christ crucified, resurrected and now available as the “Spirit of life” to come and indwell every believer, to be their new and uplifted life, in place of their old life. Though we rarely hear this message in its simplicity, it alone is the gospel for today in “the dispensation of the grace of God”.

The fellowship of the mystery is the fruitful union we may now have with Him, who now is our only indwelling life (Col 3:4a), and Lord (Rom 10:9). No greater “mystery” could exist than the union of God and man, being one in spirit. The core of Paul’s gospel is not “Jesus died for your sins”, though Paul is the one who explains that fact to us as a “first” step (1Cor 15:3) of His message. No, Paul saw beyond our reconciliation by Christ’s blood and death (Rom 5:10), he saw to the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose (Eph 3:11) that was in Christ before the world began. Paul preached Christ crucified, and now living in and through the believers. Col. 1:27b-28a …this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ²⁸Whom we preach… Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The Apostle Paul’s Gospel, which he calls “my gospel” in several Scriptures, concerns “the church, which is His body”. The literal body of Christ consist of all believers, having received Christ who is the Head and life-source of His body, now living through that One body and each member in particular. 1 Cor. 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

The body of Christ consists of all the individual grace dispensation believers who have received Christ by simple faith; believing, and simultaneously receiving Christ’s Spirit of life into each one’s human spirit. Each body member thereby is a member of actual, literal (not metaphorical), body of Christ.

Thus, it is by Christ in us that He is literally incarnated on earth today, and for eternity. Today He still walks the earth, He speaks, and He is ministering grace, love and life to people, even toward those who may still reject Him. How does He do this? It is through His literal body members alive physically on earth today, those who have come to know Him as their life and lord. Also, Paul says this is our commission today - to make all men see what is the fellowship (union) of the mystery (secret gospel).

Many misinterpret the point of Eph 5:22-23. From it they claim to see the body of Christ as Christ’s wife or even His bride, but this is not true and not at all the point of this Scripture reference.

Ephes. 5:22-23 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For 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.

I trust that you see that the term body of Christ speaks of a literal life-relationship that we as believers have with Christ, one that is more intimate than the union of a man and wife. Paul here is simply describing for the Ephesians the proper submissive union and relationship between man and wife is like that of Christ as Head of His body. Don’t our physical body parts obey that instruction which emanates from our head? Elsewhere, Paul says husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves and gave Himself for the church. You might say, “How can this be?” Well, consider this question. “What is closer to you, your spouse, or your own body.” Of course, it is your body. Scripture rightly divided speaks of Israel as God’s wife, often an adulterous wife, but never of “the church which is His body” as being the wife or bride of Christ.

The fact is that for “the church which is His body” today, Christ is the genuine head of His literal body, and the metaphor is that of a man being head of the wife, operating in love, with understanding (1Peter 3:7). All physical life and relationships seen on earth are but metaphors for the reality of our relationship that makes us the literally united with Christ. This is why Paul says the things of God may be clearly seen in the creation (Rom 1:20); e.g., the tree with its physical branches is but a metaphor for the reality of our dependency seen in the life that flows issuing from the vine to the branches. Our husband and wife relationship is but a metaphor; while the body of Christ is not a metaphor, but rather reality in fact, since it is not physical, but spiritual.

We must see our union and oneness with God in the matter of Christ as head of the believing “church, which is His body” in order to see what we possess in that relationship. The legal aspects of God’s justice were fully settled on the cross; this was so we could proceed on to God’s heart desire – for us to have a restful, dependent, relationship with God, who is in Christ, now as “the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus”; now in literal union with us.

We are not God or the Head, but we are in union with the One who is God and Head of the body. This is indeed a marvelous thought - the union of the creature and The Creator, possessing the very same life, being one. God indwells the container called “man”. The focus is upon the content, not the container, just as the focus is upon the coffee in the cup. We do not say – “Pass the coffee with the cup”. We say “Pass the coffee”; since the coffee and cup are one, yet we know that are two. The cup never becomes the coffee, but it contains the coffee.

The key point here is our primary, inseparable, oneness with God. This union we have with God is as true as that of our individual physical body parts that are in union with, and dependent upon our physical head. Just as Jesus was and is dependent upon the Father (John 5:19), so also are we dependent upon the Godhead for our life, maturity, direction and well-being. The Godhead is found in Christ who indwells us as our life sufficiency (Col 2:9-10) and our Head. He then completes our creation as it was meant to be.

Note this paper’s title includes the words “Christ - The Head”; it is not “Christ AS The Head”. That is because “Christ-The Literal Head” is the indispensable member of His literal Body. His headship is with all the believing body members. By our union with Him, His life surges through each body member’s spirit every moment of the day. His life is our full sufficiency in every situation of life – the good the bad and the ugly. We need to come to “see” this truth of our union with spiritual eyes. That “seeing” is called revelation and it is then life-changing; only then will we trust what we have then seen with our spirit eyes.

Having such sight, living the Christian life then becomes an adventure in learning of our union and His sufficiency by our daily experiences of living; we learn more and more to trust in Him who is our overcoming life within, in a normal spontaneous way – “not I, but Christ”. With this revelation of our union, we can see the worth of being on earth for the time that He has ordained. This time on earth now affords us opportunity to learn what we could not otherwise learn.  If we never suffered problems; we couldn’t come to know that we could trust Him in us to handle them.

Consider that patience is a factor in learning to trust Him? We learn to endure patiently as we learn to trust Him. We may need to wait in patience for His Spirit to reveal the truth of our union with Him. We know that we can trust that He is at work in our life, positioning us, our hearts and minds, to receive direction and light from Him, who is the Head.

Philip. 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

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