Jesus offers an invitation to all men: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He is able to offer this rest because of His work in reconciling man and God through the cross (Ephesians 2:13-16). After we obey the gospel by putting on Christ in baptism (Romans 6:3, 17), we are to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
What do we call those who have obeyed the gospel? Individually, we call them Christians (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). But what about the universal body of all those who have become Christians? There are a few different terms used in the New Testament. In this article we will consider three – the body, the bride, and the church of Christ.
The Body of Christ
Paul called the universal group of Christians the body of Christ: “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23; cf. Colossians 1:18). The human body naturally follows the instructions that come from the head. Paul used the illustration of a body for this reason. We are to be “in subjection” to Christ, keeping His commandments (Matthew 28:20) and doing all things according to what He has authorized us to say and do (Colossians 3:17).
The Bride of Christ
Later in the Ephesian letter, in discussing the roles in marriage, Paul described Christians as the bride of Christ: “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:23-24). This illustration parallels the previous one with regard to our need to be “in subjection” (submissive) to Christ. But using the marriage relationship also emphasizes the need of complete and continuing faithfulness. We cannot divide our loyalty between “two masters” (Matthew 6:24). We must be faithful to Christ alone. We also must be “faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10), rather than forsake our commitment to Him when we are tempted to do so.
The Church of Christ
Christians, as they belong to Christ, make up the church of Christ. Jesus promised His apostles, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). Since He is the builder, we must respect and follow His pattern for the church (2 Timothy 1:13). We are not at liberty to make the church what we want it to be. We are bound and obligated to let the church be what He wants it to be. This means the church must be busy proclaiming the gospel as “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). The church must also be encouraging the brethren as the self-edifying body He designed it to be (Ephesians 4:16). With such an important mission, the church has no business engaging in food, fun, and frivolity in an effort to appeal to those who are carnally minded.
Conclusion
The three descriptions of the universal group of Christ’s followers share a common theme – obedience. As the body of Christ, we must be subject to Him and keep His commandments (John 14:15). As the bride of Christ, we must be faithful and seek to please Him over all others (Galatians 1:10). As the church of Christ, we must follow the divine pattern and do the work He has given the church to do (2 Timothy 1:13). Each one of these describes our need to obey Him.
The Hebrew writer said that Jesus is “to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:9). Salvation is for the obedient. Of course, Paul said that Jesus is “the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23), which is His bride and His church. No matter how we look at it, obedience cannot be separated from salvation in Christ. We must not fall for the lie promoted by the denominations of salvation by faith alone (cf. James 2:24). As His people, we must obey Him.
