Being Rooted and Grounded in Love vs. The Body of Christ Building Itself Up in Love

 

Being Rooted and Grounded in Love vs. The Body of Christ Building Itself Up in Love

Ephesians 3:17: "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love"

Ephesians 4:16: "Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love" 

Aspect	Being Rooted and Grounded in Love	The Body of Christ Building Itself Up in Love
Meaning	Refers to individuals being rooted and establishing a firm foundation in divine love, which is the basis for personal spiritual growth	Refers to the collective building process of the entire Body of Christ, emphasizing corporate growth and edification
Focus	Personal spiritual experience and growth	The building up of the church as the Body of Christ
Process	Receiving, appreciating, and enjoying Christ through faith and love	Members being joined together, caring for one another, and building up in love
Foundation	God loves us first, and we respond to Him with divine love	Members coordinating in love and serving one another
Result	Personal life being transformed, saturated by God, becoming holy and without blemish	The building up, growth, and maturity of the Body of Christ, reaching the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
Examples	Individuals experiencing God's love through prayer, Bible reading, and communion with the Lord, and responding with love toward God and others	Believers loving one another, supporting each other, bearing with one another, serving one another, and coordinating in service
Practical Applications	• Cultivating a personal intimate relationship with God • Practicing experiencing and responding to God's love in daily life • Receiving and enjoying Christ through faith • Experiencing transformation and growth in life through love	• Practicing mutual love in church life • Caring for weaker members • Speaking the truth in love • Coordinating with one another in service • Avoiding having only knowledge of the truth without the practice of love
Challenges	May focus only on personal spiritual experience while neglecting building relationships with other believers	May talk about high peak truths but lack the practice of love, leading to being puffed up rather than being built up
Interrelationship	Individual rooting in love is the foundation for the building of the Body of Christ; without individual believers being rooted in love, the Body cannot be properly built up	The building of the Body of Christ provides the environment and opportunity for individuals to be rooted in love; through the building of the Body, individual lives can grow more abundantly
Relevant Scriptures	Ephesians 1:4: "Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love" Ephesians 3:17: "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love" 1 Timothy 1:14: "And the grace of our Lord superabounded with faith and love in Christ Jesus"	Ephesians 4:2: "With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love" Ephesians 4:15: "But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ" Ephesians 5:2: "And walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor"

 

Conclusion:

These two concepts, while distinct, are complementary to each other. "Being rooted and grounded in love" emphasizes the love relationship between the individual and God and the growth of personal life, while "the Body of Christ building itself up in love" focuses on the building process of the church as the Body of Christ. Both are founded on divine love and are mutually conditional, jointly promoting the growth and building up of both individual Christians and the collective Body.

 

*Please refer to the July 2024 Anaheim, California, USA training Experiencing, Enjoying and Manifesting Christ (II) Week 23 God’s Children Walk in Love and Light