To me the church
as the Body of Christ doesn’t speak about so much as what the church does, as
it speaks to what it is; the Body of Christ is the Presence of God on earth
today. To me that means I need to look
at how Jesus was while he was on earth, because he was the Presence of God,
incarnate. He did not abolish the
law. He was the fulfillment of all of
the law and the prophets. He gave them
meaning. Today we throw off the law and
the admonitions of the prophets and claim that Jesus made love the hallmark of
the Christian faith. That is true, but
Jesus never separated love from obedience to the law or the admonitions of the
prophets; they built on each other giving a complete meaning and a firm
foundation to build on.
Love wants the
best for another. Often the best for
another looks different to different people, and more than often looks
different to Jesus.
Giving up my life
in order to gain a better life doesn’t look like the best for me; hearing I
need to stop what I am doing because it is wrong and actually harmful to me
doesn’t look like the best to me. Asking for forgiveness, repenting, and
admitting I am wrong doesn’t look like the best for me. I want the freedom to be who I think I am and
do what I think is best for me so I will look for people who reinforce and
support me and stay clear of those who don’t.
I don’t want to feel convicted by my conscious so I will declare my
conscience as null and void. I will feel
healthy, no matter what I am doing that might be unhealthy.
In the story about
the woman brought before Jesus by the religious leaders for being caught in the
act of adultery speaks clearly to the power of his presence. The religious leaders left convicted and went
home without bringing the woman to the justice she deserved by their law. He could have said, “See, no one condemns
you, and neither do I so go back to what you were doing.” He said, “See, no one condemns you and
neither do I. Go, and sin no more.
In the story of
the prodigal son the younger son went out and squandered his life and money in
reckless living. He had fun for awhile
but that ended and he found himself as empty as he thought he was at home. He came to himself, realized he had chosen
wrong, repented and went home to seek forgiveness from his father, healing
their relationship. His father
celebrated his homecoming. The older son
was equally squandering his life in resentment and bitterness. But he never came to himself, to the
conviction that he was choosing wrong and treating his father poorly. In the eyes of others he was doing everything
right, everything a son should do. He
never was brought to repentance or to the awareness that he needed to ask his
father for forgiveness. He missed the
celebration and didn’t heal the relationship.
The restoration in
relationship between God and human beings is the hallmark of Christianity. Love has a great deal to do with that, but so
does repentance and forgiveness for that breach in relationship. The love of God leads us to repentance. When
people who were in need came into Jesus’ presence, they experienced God’s love
and they were healed. Jesus acted and spoke true to who he was. People who didn’t think they were in need
left his presence the same because they didn’t hear or didn’t see who he was
and consequently could not celebrate in his love.
It is not true
love to thwart the reconciliation of the relationship between God and one who
has turned aside from God’s standard. It
is not true love to say that everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the
Lord and that God delights in them, just so they won’t feel bad. This is not
what is best for anyone.
The church as the
Body of Christ needs to be light and salt to the world. It needs to stand true to God’s laws, God’s
prophets, and to Christ Jesus. It needs
to stand true to the covenant God made with Levi.
“My
covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to
him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared
me. He stood in awe of
my
name. True instruction was in his mouth,
and no wrong was found
on
his lips. He walked with me in peace and
uprightness, and he
turned
many from iniquity. For the lips of a
priest should guard
knowledge,
and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he
is a messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
Malachi 2:5-7
The church as the
Body of Christ needs to stand firm on a solid foundation of love and
obedience. But is it? Unfortunately in our day the church appears
to be falling into the same condition that Malachi speaks of in the rest of
that chapter.
“But
you have turned aside from my way. You
have caused many to
stumble
by your instruction. You have corrupted
the covenant of
Levi,
says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased
before
all people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show
partiality
in your instruction.” Malachi 2:8, 9.
The church as the
Body of Christ is His Presence in the world today. As we love one another and encourage one
another and build one another up, let’s make sure we are true to the standard
and the plumb line that God uses. Then
we will be able to truly celebrate at the restoration of the relationship that
God has been waiting to celebrate with us.
And oh, what a glorious celebration that will be.
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