The Body

Many people over the years have questioned the justice of Israel loosing Ai when Achan stole the “Babylonish garment, the gold and the silver (Joshua 7). After all are we not all individually responsible for our own actions? (Deuteronomy 24:16, Revelation 22:12) Why would the sin of one man affect a whole nation of people? Well there are a number of Bible events that bare out the reason for this. The essence of it is that ‘we ARE our brother’s keeper’. The converse of Achan’s story can be seen in Genesis 18, when God informed Abraham that He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded for them. And God said He would not destroy these cities if He could find as low as ten righteous individuals. Unfortunately for them there weren’t even five righteous in those two cities.

God is interested in the corporate as well as the individual and the individual’s actions towards the corporate is vital to the salvation of the individual (Hebrews 10:25). Daniel, of whom no sin was recorded in the Bible, prayed to God for the forgiveness of his own sins and the sins of all of Judah (Daniel 9:9-19). When Jesus returns He is coming back for a body of believers a church without “spot or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:27). How is this meant to be achieved, verse 25 and 26 tells us that He gave Himself for the church that it might be sanctified.

So since Christ did what was necessary to produce a pure church what part do I have in this? God has given us a mandate to spread the Gospel, the good news of His sacrifice in our behalf (Matthew 28:19, 20). However, if the church is corrupted this mandate cannot be accomplished (James 1:8, Matthew 6:23, 1 Corinthians 5:6, Galatians 5:9). Before Pentecost Jesus instructed the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). In that time, they confessed and cleared up all sins among them brining themselves into “one accord” (Acts 1:14; 2:1). Only then could the Spirit of God be poured out, empowering them to fulfill Jesus’ commission to spread the Gospel to the whole world (Acts 1:8).

We as a body would like to accomplish this final work to bring sin to an end. This was the initial purpose of this movement – to gather the group prophesied to preach the three angel’s messages and complete Christ’s mission for us (Revelation 14:1-12). In neglecting this primary task of preparing ourselves (tarry till endued), and going off on our own to do as “the other nations”, and corrupting ourselves with selfishness and temporary living like Esau (Genesis 25:29-34), we are now wholly unprepared for the task at hand. As followers of Christ we need to share in His desires, we need to possess and practice His yearning for each other’s salvation.

As always, there is hope. When we trust and obey God there is always hope. He has promised to take full control of His final work. Painful, nerve-racking things will occur (Ezekiel 9) but Christ has promised that His church will be safe. His obedient followers will be protected and vindicated (Revelation 7). I urge us all to take heed, give an account for ourselves and each other in brotherly, Christian love. Be humble, take good Biblical, Christian, counsel from wherever it may be found (Isaiah 8:20). God has a way of sending us messages in unexpected ways.

Hopefully