The Body Dynamic
What is the church? Many conceive it to be anything from well–structured, wealthy, highly organized institutions to underground cell groups with no money or structure. But what is the biblical description of the church? How do we express its identity and fulfill Christ’s desire for it? God has provided us with a clear blueprint of how the Body of Christ is to work in the world. But that plan is useless and unfulfilled unless you and I make it part of our lives. My prayer is that as you study and apply the principles you learn in this book, you’ll become an effective and key member of the church, the Body of Christ.'These were developed for a product we did exclusively for "Grace to You" almost ten years ago. Regardless, we have no rights whatsoever.' --Bill Nienhuis 5/2/2007
Top Highlights
“But one metaphor is unique to the New Testament, and that is the metaphor that speaks of the church as Christ’s Body. That reveals the church not as an organization but as a living organism made up of many interrelated and mutually dependent parts. Christ is the head of this Body, and the Holy Spirit is, as it were, its lifeblood. This unique metaphor forms the basis of this book.” (Page 8)
“His song of praise actually has three parts: first, the past aspect of God’s eternal formation of the Body (vv. 4–6); followed by the present (vv. 6–11); and the future (vv. 12–14). Thus God’s eternal plan for the Body has three parts: the past—election; the present—redemption; the future—inheritance.” (Page 14)
“God wrote the names of every believer in the Book of Life before the world began:” (Page 15)
“How these two sides of God’s truth—His sovereignty in choosing us (Rom. 9) and our responsibility to confess and believe (Rom. 10)—reconcile is impossible for us to understand. Scripture declares both perspectives of salvation to be true (John 1:12–13). It’s our duty to acknowledge both and joyfully accept them by faith.” (Page 17)
“An interesting pattern recurs in Ephesians. In 1:1–14 Paul speaks of the believer’s position, and in 1:15–23 he prays that we will understand our position. Again, in 2:1—3:12 he teaches us positional truth; then in 3:13–21 he prays that we will understand it. Twice Paul does it: position—prayer, position—prayer. Not until chapter 4 does he begin to explain how to practice the Christian life. The principle in Christian living, as in football, is this: You can’t play your position until you know what it is. The Christian life is becoming in practice what we are in position.” (Page 24)
- Title: The Body Dynamic
- Author: John F. MacArthur
- Publisher: Chariot Victor
- Print Publication Date: 1996
- Logos Release Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible study
- ISBNs: 9781418517328, 1418517321
- Resource ID: LLS:42.50.4
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-28T20:20:36Z
John MacArthur (b. 1939) is a Calvinist theologian, author, editor, and teacher. He is a popular conference speaker and the president of both The Master's College and The Master's Seminary. He has also served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. Best known for his expository exegesis of the Bible, Logos has collected more than 3,000 of his sermons in the John MacArthur Sermon Archive and offers the complete MacArthur New Testament Commentary.
MacArthur’s pulpit ministry extends around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, and CDs by John MacArthur. He has written hundreds of books and study guides, including the bestselling John MacArthur Essential Bible Study Library and the MacArthur Study Bible. He is also the author of notable titles like Different by Design and Twelve Ordinary Men.