From Whom ALL THE BODY... maketh the increase of THE BODY unto the building up of itself in love (Eph. 4:16).
Into this Body Christians are incorporated by Baptism: We are members of HIS BODY (Eph. 5:30; comp. Heb. 10:26); 1 Cor. 12:13.
And they are sustained in their vital union with Christ by the fellowship of His body and blood (1 Cor. 10:16 f.).
So it is that Christians themselves are one body in Christ (Rom. 12:5); and severally members one of another (Eph. 4:25; Rom. 12:5), sharing in a common life but charged with different offices (Rom. 12:4, 6 ff.; 1 Cor. 12:27 uJmei'" ejste sw'ma Cristou' kai; mevlh ejk mevrou" ); and under this aspect our bodies are members of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15).
It is obvious that the view which is thus opened to us of the Body of Christ as the one organism, if the word may be allowed, through which His life is fulfilled, throws light upon the words of Institution at the Last Supper. Christ does not say This is my flesh: He does say This is my blood. He offers us part in the one organisation of the One Life which transcends earth
(
This is
MY BODY, 1 Cor. 11:24; Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Lk. 22:19): He offers us the virtue of His life on earth through which we may now fulfil our work. Compare Additional Note on St John 6.
The discernment and appropriation of this spiritual reality is at once the great trial and the highest blessing of the Christian life (...
if he discern not
THE BODY. 1 Cor. 11:27-29).
Additional Note on 10:7. The expression of an end or purpose.
The purpose or end of an action is expressed in the Greek of the N. T. by many different forms of construction which are found also in classical language, though the relative frequency of their occurrence varies in different periods: each form presents the thought under a distinct aspect; and it will be interesting to the student to consider in connexion the examples which are offered in the Epistle. The purpose or endif we use the words in a very wide senseis expressed in the Epistle by (1) the infinitive, (2) the preposition
eij"
,
(3) the final particles
o{pw", i{na
, (4) the conjunction
w{ste
.
(1)
The infinitive.
The
infin.
is used to mark the end in two forms:
(
a
) The simple
infin.
:
Heb. 5:5
oJ cristo;" oujc eJauto;n ejdovxasen genhqh'nai ajrciereva
...
:10
ouj ga;r a[diko" oJ qeo;" ejpilaqevsqai tou' e[rgou uJmw'n
... :18
oiJ katafugovnte" krath'sai
...
:24 ( eijsh'lqen ) nu'n ejmfanisqh'nai ... oujdj i{na pollavki" prosfevrh/ eJautovn ... :8 jAbraa;m uJphvkousen ejxelqei'n ...