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

God’s Israel vs. the Church in the Triune God: Integrated Comparison Table

 

God’s Israel vs. the Church in the Triune God: Integrated Comparison Table

Galatians 6:16 May peace and mercy come upon all who walk in this standard—on the Israelites of God.

Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Revelation 5:10 And they will become a kingdom and a priesthood for our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Revelation 21:7 The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my Son. 

Item	God’s Israel	The Church in the Triune God	Key Points of Integration
Core definition	The true Israelites, the spiritual Israel, which is the church (Gal. 6:16; Rom. 9:6b, 2:28-29; Phil. 3:3)	The church in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, in the processed Triune God (1 Thes. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Matt. 28:19)	Two aspects of one entity: the former speaks of who these people are (identity), the latter of where these people are (sphere and element)
Main perspective	Identity, destiny, and function (the human side)	Organic union, sphere, and element (the divine side)	Identity is based on organic union: because we are in the Triune God, we become God’s Israel
Members	All believers in Christ, both Gentile and Jewish, who are the true seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 29)	All believers who are in Christ and in the Triune God (1 Cor. 12:4-6; Eph. 4:4-6)	The members are the same, regardless of race; all are “in Christ”
Basis of becoming	Not by flesh, bloodline, or physical circumcision, but by circumcision of the heart and serving God in spirit (Rom. 2:28-29; Phil. 3:3)	By faith in Christ and being baptized into the name of the Triune God (Matt. 28:19)	Both are a new creation in spirit and in Christ (Gal. 6:15), not based on outward qualifications
Relationship to the Old Testament	The fleshly Israel of the Old Testament was a type; the spiritual Israel of the New Testament is the reality	In the Old Testament there was only the outward side of God; in the New Testament the church enters into the divine Trinity	From type to reality, from an outward relationship to an inward union
Expression of the Triune God	Being sons of God to express God (Gal. 3:26)	Being in the Triune God, experiencing the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14)	To express God, we must first be in God, be joined to God, and enjoy God
Destiny in the economy	To be sons of God expressing God and to be kings reigning in God’s kingdom (Rev. 5:10; 21:7; 22:5b; 12:5a)	Being in the processed Triune God, the ultimate consummation of God’s economy	The realization of our destiny depends on the enjoyment of the organic union: only by being constituted in the Triune God can we express and reign
Function and responsibility	To represent God, exercise His authority, and carry out His administration on earth (Gen. 1:26, 28; Luke 10:19; Rev. 12:5, 7-11)	The corporate life and service in the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Cor. 12:4-6)	The function of reigning issues from the corporate union, not from individual effort
Understanding of the Spirit	Serving God in the spirit (Phil. 3:3)	Both “God the Father” and “the Lord Jesus Christ” imply the Spirit; the church is in the One who, with the Father and the Son, has become the life-giving Spirit (John 14:20)	The Spirit is the reality for entering into and experiencing the Triune God, and is the key joining the two aspects
Understanding of the “Triune God”	In God’s New Testament economy, believers become sons of God and God’s Israel	The Bible has no such thing as the church being merely in God; the church is in the processed Triune God (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)	The emphasis is on the Triune God who has been incarnated, who passed through death and resurrection, and who became the life-giving Spirit
Effect of the vision	Seeing our identity and destiny gives us a sense of dignity and mission	Seeing the vision of the church in the Triune God governs our thoughts, activities, and whole living (Prov. 29:18a; Acts 26:19)	Vision enables living: with a consciousness of identity and the enjoyment of organic union, our living and service are changed
Practical implications	Not boasting in the flesh, serving in the spirit, expressing Christ, and carrying out God’s administration on earth	Living in the Triune God, enjoying Him, and being joined together in the church life	Practically, it is one and the same path: living in the spirit, enjoying Christ, and expressing God and reigning for God in the church

One-Sentence Integration

God’s Israel is the church’s “identity and destiny,” while being in the Triune God is the church’s “organic union and sphere”; because the church is in the processed Triune God, it becomes God’s Israel, expressing God and reigning for Him to fulfill His purpose.

 

*Please refer to the 2026 Autumn Training for Elders and Responsible Brothers, General Topic: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Chapter 1: Introduction

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob

 

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob 

Exodus 3:6 He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 3:15 Then God said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and my memorial to all generations.”

I. Overview: The Three Patriarchs and the Names of God

Item	The God of Abraham	The God of Isaac	The God of Jacob
Characteristic / expression of God	The God of  justification	The God of grace	The God who transforms man through divine discipline
Focus of experience	Justification by faith  (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:2-3)	Freely receiving and enjoying grace  (2 Cor. 13:14)	Receiving divine discipline and being transformed  (Gen. 32:28; 2 Cor. 3:18; Heb. 12:5-11)
Man’s standing	One chosen and justified by faith	An heir of grace  (the son given by God)	Changed from a “supplanter” into a “prince of God”
Ultimate outcome	The father of faith	One who enjoys the grace of God	Became the God of Israel (Gen. 33:20; Exo. 5:1), that is, the God of the transformed Jacob
Common features	All are the God of resurrection, the God of the tabernacle, Jehovah Elohim, and the self-existing and ever-existing Triune God

II. The God of Resurrection and the God of the Tabernacle

Aspect	The God of Resurrection	The God of the Tabernacle
Scripture	Exo. 3:6, 15; Matt. 22:23-33; Acts 3:13	Exo. 40:34-35; Gen. 12:8; 13:18; 26:17, 25; 33:18; 35:21; Heb. 11:9-10; Rev. 21:2-3
Meaning	Although the three patriarchs had died, God still called Himself their God, because He is the God of the living, not of the dead; this proves that they will be resurrected	The three patriarchs all lived in tents, indicating that they were sojourners and pilgrims who did not take root on the earth
Revelation	God is the source of resurrection; His relationship with believers transcends death	They eagerly awaited God’s eternal tabernacle, the New Jerusalem
Ultimate goal	Resurrection life	The New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2-3: the tabernacle of God with men)

III. Jehovah Elohim (Gen. 2:4-22; Exo. 3:15)

Name	Meaning	Key point
Elohim	The faithful Mighty One	Genesis 1 uses only this name, emphasizing God as Creator; God is faithful and mighty
Jehovah	The One who was, who is, and who will be forever (the self-existing and ever-existing One)	From chapter 2 on, God enters into relationship with man and is the covenant God of His chosen people
Jehovah Elohim	The two names combined (appearing repeatedly in Gen. 2:4-22)	Indicates God’s relationship with His chosen people: the mighty and faithful God who is also the eternally self-existing One

IV. The Self-Existing and Ever-Existing Triune God, and the Triune God Who Was, Is, and Will Be

Aspect	The self-existing and ever-existing Triune God	The Triune God who was, who is, and who is to come
Scripture	Exo. 3:13-14; Rev. 22:13	Rev. 1:4; Psa. 90:2
Meaning	“I AM WHO I AM”; self-existing and without beginning, also ever-existing and without end	In the past He was; at present He is; in the future He will be
Time dimension	The beginning and the end are both in God: the Alpha and the Omega	From eternity to eternity; the One who remains forever
Significance for the three patriarchs	What the patriarchs worshipped was a God who transcends time and never changes	God’s relationship with the patriarchs is living and continuous in the past, present, and future

V. Integration: The Patriarchs’ Course of Experiencing God

Stage	Patriarch	God’s work	Inward progress	Outward sign
Beginning	Abraham	Justification	Believing into God and having a part with Him	Building an altar and pitching a tent (Gen. 12:8; 13:18)
Middle	Isaac	Grace	Enjoying all that God gave (inheriting)	Digging wells, building an altar, and pitching a tent (Gen. 26:17, 25)
Maturity	Jacob	Discipline and transformation	The natural man broken and renewed; disposition changed	Building an altar, setting up a pillar, and pitching a tent (Gen. 33:18; 35:21)
Consummation	Israel (the transformed Jacob)	The corporate expression of God	Becoming a prince of God and the people of God, sharing His glory	The tabernacle of God, the New Jerusalem  (Rev. 21:2-3)

VI. Summary Points

1.      The three are one: Justification (Abraham) → grace (Isaac) → transformation (Jacob) forms a complete path of salvation experience, from being justified, to enjoying grace, to being transformed and matured.

2.      The same God: The God served by all three patriarchs is the same Jehovah Elohim, who is the Creator and also the God who makes covenants, redeems, and transforms man.

3.      Resurrection as the assurance: Because God is the God of resurrection, the three patriarchs, though dead, are alive before Him and will be resurrected.

4.      The tabernacle as the destination: They lived in tents all their lives, and what they hoped for was God’s eternal tabernacle, the New Jerusalem, the final mingling and dwelling together of God and man.

5.      Eternity in time: The God who was, is, and will be guarantees that His relationship with His chosen people remains unchanged from generation to generation, forever.

 

*Please refer to the 2026 Autumn Training for Elders and Responsible Brothers, General Topic: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Chapter 1: Introduction