The church body is one of the most critical concepts in Christianity, and it’s something that deserves a lot more attention than it gets. That’s why we asked our writers to list 19 bible verses about the church body. With this post, you’ll get insight into what constitutes a “true” church body and what Christianity requires from its members than just believing in Jesus Christ.
Bible verses about the church body
The church body is vital to a Christian’s relationship with Christ. It is the group of people who form the backbone of the church. It is often said that what we lose in one leg of our body, we can make up in another (1 Corinthians 12:27). The word “church” means “called out ones.” That’s right; we are all called out to be part of this body called the church.
Acts 20:28 – God’s message to the church.
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Acts 20:28 (NIV)
Paul encouraged the elders in Ephesus (as he does today’s church leaders) to be firm in their faith, guard their spiritual well-being, care for God’s people, and to feed God’s flock. They were also exhorted to shepherd the Body of Christ, which is the Church, reminding them (and us) that we were purchased on Calvary’s cross with His own precious blood.
1 Peter 2:9 – Our privileges in Christ.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
This really reveals one of the precious privileges we have in Christ as members of the Body of Christ – we are a chosen race and a royal priesthood. We have been designated as a holy nation and a distinct people who have become God’s prized possession.
As Christians, we have a unique role in God’s ongoing redemption plan. We are born into God’s family and have been transformed into a new creation through spiritual birth, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:19 – Our individual body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV)
God designed Christians as a holy temple, as Christ stated, “I will build my Church.” However, each believer is reminded in this verse that our individual body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, as He took up permanent residence within our hearts at the point of salvation.
We were purchased at a high price; the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on Calvary’s Cross paid for our sins – and from that point forward, our body became a temple for God.
1 John 1:9 – Our unity in Christ.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – We are to live in humble dependence on Christ by grace.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
Ephesians 5:23 – Just as Christ submitted himself to the Father, the church also submitted itself to Christ.
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.Ephesians 5:23 (NIV)
God defines headship primarily as sacrificial love. He has a divinely ordained pattern for relationships, both within and outside the church.
Every man has Christ as his “head” (male). He is the church’s principal and has the authority to direct the church’s activities. He is the sole ruler of the church.
Just as Christ submitted himself to the Father, the church also submitted itself to Christ. Paul calls us as part of the body of Christ to submit to Christ as the head.
1 Timothy 2:5 – There is only one God.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
Ephesians 4:11 – No matter our positions in church we are of one body.
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,Ephesians 4:11 (NIV)
Paul shifts his focus to reasons for unity within the Church. He reminds us that there is only one Body of believers (the Body of Christ), one Holy Spirit who indwells and seals each believer, one hope of our calling that is reserved for us in heaven, and one Lord – our Saviour Jesus Christ.
There is one faith with a fixed body of doctrine, one baptism into the Body of Christ at the time of salvation, one God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one Holy Spirit Who bestows spiritual gifts on all who are positioned in Christ. No matter our positions in church we are of one body.
2 Timothy 1:9 – God saved us and called us to live holy lives.
who has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)
Romans 14:17 – Prayer.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,Romans 14:17 (NIV)
Isaiah 66:1 – A humble heart is a living temple of God.
This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?Isaiah 66:1 (NIV)
1 Timothy 2:4 – The power behind our prayers.
who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.1 Timothy 2:4 (NIV)
The Lord Himself is the power behind every righteous man’s prayers, and prayer is both good and acceptable in the Lord’s sight. Paul knew full well that the prayers, supplications, and intercessions of a righteous man are very effective and can accomplish much.
We have a better knowledge of our gracious God’s caring heart in this verse, who does not want any of His creation to perish. He longs for both the unsaved to turn from their sin and turn to Jesus, putting their faith in Him.
Revelation 5:9 – Christ died for us.
And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Revelation 5:9 (NIV)
Imagine the ideas that must have raced through John’s mind as he suddenly saw those four live beings, along with those 24 elders, around God’s throne.
As John began to understand the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Man, Christ Jesus, whom he had loved so deeply, respectful delight and dread overcame him.
The wonderful news that Christ had been killed for us filled the heavenly chorus of voices. God’s plan of salvation came to this stage when Christ—the Lamb of God who takes away sin from the world—could perform the decisive act that would irrevocably begin the entire and complete redemption of the world.
1 Peter 1:2 – We are the elect.
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.1 Peter 1:2 (NIV)
2 Timothy 3:16 – The Bible is enriching for all of God’s people from beginning to end.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
Colossians 1:18 – Christ is the Head of the Church.
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.Colossians 1:18(NIV)
Christ is the Originator, Source, and Head of the Church. He also serves as its Leader and Federal Head. Additionally, Christ has promised to establish His Church, which would be impregnable to the gates of hell.
You and I could not be raised from the dead without Christ’s resurrection, but since we are members of His body, His death became our death, and His resurrection became our resurrection.
1 Timothy 4:1 – Hold fast to your faith.
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.1 Timothy 4:1 (NIV)
1 Timothy 3:15 – We are a group of Christians with the purpose of telling the lost about Christ.
if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.1 Timothy 3:15 (NIV)
1 Corinthians 12:13 – Each member of the Body of Christ is in the eyes of God.
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
Paul demonstrates how distinct each member of the Body of Christ is in the eyes of God and how this entire group of believers serves as the means by which God chooses to reveal Himself to humankind.
Paul begins his teaching by stating that we are God’s representatives on earth during the Church era and that each believer has been given their own special gifts and particular vocation.
The common good of all Christians is to be served by each manifestation of the Spirit. Different people have different spiritual abilities, and each ministry is distinct but diverse and complimentary.
