The Body of Christ is Pauls most spiritual gifts so that they can exist and

powerful metaphor for the Church. work together for the common good

He engages this specific metaphor to Christ gives different gifts to different

describe and produce at least three members of the Body. Our job is not to
things. compare our gifts and abilities, nor to
First, Paul uses the metaphor to feel superior or inferior to other
encourage the church and build the members of the Body, but to make use
reality in them that they are sharers in of our respective gifts to serve others.
Christ. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 Paul Our works of service are to be used for
says that when believers take the building up the body of Christ
Lords Supper they are participating in
the body of Christ. The church
therefore is partnered with Christ, tied
to Christ, a sharer in Christ, in The image of the Church as the Body of
fellowship with Christ. Christ is the basis of Pauls appeal for
Christian unity and fellowship
Second, Paul uses the metaphor to
show that the church is unified. Paul The unity in the Body of Christ is
asserts that the church collectively is symbolized by the one bread of the
unified in the body of Christ (1 Cor Eucharist (I Cor 10:17)
12:27). There are different members
but there is one body. He wants no In the Last Supper , Jesus took bread ,
division in the body of Christ, but broke it and gave it to his disciples and
rather that care be taken for each said Take this, all of you, and eat it: this
member is my body which will be given up for
He developed this theology in response you.
to the divisions of the community of
Corinth in Greece which he founded
When the Christian shares in the bread
The Corinthians were divided into of the Eucharist, he/she becomes one
factions according to the major figures Body with Christ
who administrated their baptisms.
There are four and these are Paul,
Apollos , Peter and Christ.
Third, the metaphor implies that the
church is Christ to the world. If the
church shares in Christ and is unified
in Christ, then the church is to be a
picture of Christ to the kingdoms of the
earth.

Paul used the image of the Body of

Christ to explain why and how the
members should use their different