I.　The constitution of the Body—1 Cor. 12:12-13:

A.　In one Spirit we were all baptized into one organic entity, the Body of Christ—v. 13:

1.　Christ is the life and constituent of the Body, and the Spirit is the reality of Christ.

2.　Baptism in the one Spirit ushers the believers into an organic union with Christ, making them the living members of the Body of Christ to express Christ.

B.　The Body is the corporate Christ—v.12:

1.　Christ and the church are one mysterious, corporate Christ—the Body-Christ.

2.　All the believers of Christ are organically united with Him and constituted with His life and element and have thus become His Body.

3.　As a vine includes not only the stalk but also the branches, so the corporate Christ, the Body-Christ, includes not only Christ Himself but also the members of the Body, who are the members of Christ, parts of Christ, having Christ wrought into their being.

II.　The indispensability of the members—1 Cor. 12:14-22:

A.　Every believer in Christ is a member, a part, of the Body of Christ:

1.　As believers in Christ, we have a life union with Christ, and now, in Christ we are organic parts of the Body of Christ.

2.　Individually, we are particular members of the Body; corporately, we are the mystical Body—1 Cor. 12:27.

B.　No believer should have the concept that he is not of the Body.

C.　In the Body every member is indispensable, for the Body exists in the functioning of all the members.

III.　The blending together of the members—1 Cor. 12:24:

A.　God has blended the Body together.

B.　The Greek word for blended implies the losing of distinctions.

C.　To be blended means to be adjusted, harmonized, tempered, and mingled.

D.　In order to be blended, we need to do everything through the cross and by the Spirit to dispense Christ for the sake of the Body.

E.　Blending is the most helpful thing in keeping the oneness of the Body of Christ.

F.　The blending is for the building up of the universal Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem as the final goal of God's economy according to His good pleasure.

IV.　The organic functioning of the Body:

A.　The Body of Christ has three crucial matters—the Head, the life, and the function:

1.　Christ is the Head of the Body; we can have the Body only by having Christ as the Head.

2.　The Body is a living organism; we can be the Body only by having Christ as life constituted into our inner being.

3.　The Body must have its organic function; we can have the practicality of the Body only by functioning as members of the Body.

B.　The function of the Body of Christ is to express Christ.

C.　In the Body there can be no independence or individualism, for the members cannot live and function in detachment from the Body.

D.　As members of the Body, we must allow ourselves to be limited by the Body, not going beyond our measure but learning to be blended.

E.　Mutuality is the characteristic of the Body, and the functioning of the Body is mutual; thus, our relationship in the Body is one of mutuality and interdependence.