The Church vs. the Body of Christ vs. the New Man (Ephesians)

 

The Church vs. the Body of Christ vs. the New Man (Ephesians)

According to the revelation in Ephesians, the church, the body of Christ, and the new man are not three separate spiritual entities, but rather different aspects revealing the identity, life, function, and purpose of the church. The church is the community called by God in Christ; the body of Christ emphasizes Christ as head, the church as His body, and the union and manifestation of life; the new man emphasizes Christ as the life and person of the new man, enabling Jews and Gentiles to become a unified new community in Him, fulfilling God's purpose. 

Item	The Church	The Body of Christ	The New Man
Main verses	1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23-27, 29, 32	1:23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:23, 30	2:15; 4:22-24; (4:13, full-grown man)
Meaning of the name	The assembly called out by God, separated from the world and from natural persons and things, belonging to God	A living organism in which all the members are organically joined, with Christ as the Head	A newly created, corporate man; the old man has been terminated
Emphasis	God’s corporate entity (people, household, temple)	Christ’s organic aspect  (life, supply, function)	The newly created humanity (a corporate person)
Relationship to Christ	Christ is the Head, and the church is His beloved bride (5:23-32)	Christ is the Head, and the Body is His fullness  (1:22-23)	Christ created the two into one new man in Himself (2:15) and is the all in the new man (Col. 3:10-11)
How it came into being	Through God’s eternal choosing and predestination (1:4-5) and Christ’s redemption (1:7)	Through the cross, Christ reconciled both in one Body to God (2:16)	Christ abolished the law of commandments in ordinances and created the Jew and the Gentile in Himself into one new man (2:15)
Constituents	Redeemed, called believers	All believers, each a member of Christ	Believers in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile
What it deals with	Separation from the world and the natural life	Division, independence, individualism (4:3-6, 16)	The old man, enmity, the middle wall of partition (2:14-16; 4:22)
Purpose toward God	To be God’s household and dwelling place (2:19-22), that God’s manifold wisdom may be made known (3:10)	To be the fullness of Christ, expressing Christ (1:23)	To express and represent God, that His heart’s desire may be fulfilled
Practical living	Keep the oneness of the Spirit and be built together in the church (4:1-3; 2:21-22)	Each member functions by the Head’s supply, so the Body builds itself up in love (4:15-16)	Put off the old man and put on the new man, being renewed in the spirit of the mind (4:22-24), and live the new man’s life (4:25-32)
Ultimate consummation	The glorious church, without blemish (5:27)	The Body built up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (4:12-13)	A full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (4:13)

Integrated Summary

The three are three aspects of one entity, not three different things:

• The church speaks of this entity as the group of people called out by God, belonging to God and for God.
• The Body of Christ speaks of it as the organism of Christ’s life. Christ is the Head, and the members belong to one another and supply one another in life, with the ultimate goal being the fullness of Christ.
• The new man speaks of it as the corporate person created by Christ. The division and enmity of the old man have been terminated, and Christ is everything in this new man, with the ultimate goal being one full-grown man.

In short: the church is the corporate entity God desires, the Body is the expression of Christ’s organic life, and the new man is the new humanity created in Christ. All three point to God’s eternal economy, which is to gain a corporate expression in Christ.

This summary is based on my understanding of Ephesians and the Life-study of Ephesians, and it is not a verbatim quotation. For deeper study of any cell, I recommend comparing it with the Life-study messages on 2:15-16, 4:13-16, and 1:22-23.

If you like, I can prepare an expanded version that adds other metaphors such as God’s household, the temple, the bride, and the warrior, or turn this table into a downloadable document.

 

*Please refer to the Life-Study of Ephesians