This metaphor is first used by the apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 12:12-13, “For 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. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” – Psalm 133:1 (NASB)

For most professing Christians in America, the religion we practice is such a relatively comfortable and unthreatening experience that we often are oblivious to two fundamental realities: 1) Christians exist outside our geographic boundaries, and 2) the experience of those believers is not as safe or protected as ours.

Sunday mornings have become so rote and quotidian to us that we assume such is the case for all believers everywhere. The irony, however, is that for many Christians in America, “everywhere” is limited primarily to our personal ecclesial footprint. That is, the silo, if you will, that is our local church experience (if we belong to a local church at all).

The New Testament describes believers in Christ as a body.

This metaphor is first used by the apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 12:12-13, “For 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. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

The noun “body”, sōma in the Greek, denotes a number, regardless of size, of individuals who are closely united into one society, or family, as it were. We see this oneness exemplified in the early church in such texts as Acts 4:32a, “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” The oneness that is spoken of in the book of Acts is not man-induced or man-centered, but is the supernatural fruit of God’s monergistic work of spiritual regeneration in the hearts of His elect (Jn. 1:12-13).

But that was the early church.

Where is that oneness to be found, if at all, today?

“Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another he delights in. He attaches far more importance to godly intercourse than we do. Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.” – C.H. Spurgeon

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