THE BODY OF CHRIST: SEPARATING MYTH FROM METAPHOR.

This is another approach at, "THE BODY OF CHRIST: SEPARATING MYTH FROM METAPHOR", which I consider Fundamental Baptist Doctrine.

Not to swamp the forum with "local church only" demands, but just another good treatment of what has proven to be an enormous blessing of God for me and that I believe is the only thing the Bible teaches that the word, 'church' ever meant or means (despite the supernatural influence that has brought about an attempt at changing its meaning(?)

As Br. Van Nunen says in the Foreward, the issue concerning salvation is on the table.

He says, "the relationship depicted by this Head/Body metaphor is not an organic and vital connection to Christ picturing a salvational union"

"but rather a functional relationship that involves the believer's sanctification and growth through membership in a local visible body—the church."

In other words, the notion that "all believers are born into 'the church' " is a swing and a miss, Biblically speaking, and has been used to simply rob Christianity of one of the most important things there is to Jesus, and that is His kind of local church assembly that He Founded, Organized, Promised perpetuity, and that He died for (Jesus died for each individual group of regenerated believers that have been baptized into membership and fellowship of one of the kind of local church assemblies Jesus Created, as their Head and Divine Origin, i.e., which is not to say that those that are Born Again, outside the membership of one of His churches, 'are not saved'. They are saved, but not members of one of His churches or anything imaginary such as 'the one big church of all believers', because that nothingness has never been in existence, other than in the mind of sin-cursed man, embracing a misconception of a Bible metaphor).


"In his book, "The Body of Christ: Separating Myth from Metaphor", pastor and teacher Chuck Hunt brings into sharp focus the true meaning of this metaphor.

"Pastor Chuck clears away so much of the confusion concerning the body of Christ that there is little left to tell.

"While this book covers a large area of interesting and related subjects and topics, Bro. Hunt shows with well-reasoned biblical support that the relationship depicted by this Head/Body metaphor is not an organic and vital connection to Christ picturing a salvational union but rather a functional relationship that involves the believer‟s sanctification and growth through membership in a local visible body—the church.

"The distinctions and clarifications that are drawn in this book are biblical issues all Christians should be clear on."
...

The 78-page .pdf book:
"THE BODY OF CHRIST: SEPARATING MYTH FROM METAPHOR".

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……...………………………………………………….7
THE POPULAR BUT INCORRECT VIEW OF THE HEAD-BODY METAPHOR….9
THE CORRECT VIEW………………………………………………………………...19
IN CHRIST BY SALVATION: AN EXAMINATION OF “IN CHRIST”……………… 30
IN THE METAPHORICAL BODY OF CHRIST BY SANCTIFICATION…………...36
THE CONSIDERATION OF SELECTED PASSAGES……………………………..47
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION……………………………………………………..56
ADDENDUM I: THE ANALOGY OF CHRIST'S BODY
IN THE COMMUNION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
WITH CHRIST'S BODY, THE CHURCH………………………...............…...........60
ADDENDUM II: A DOCTRINAL MODEL FOR FURTHER STUDY……….............74 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………….............76
...


For what it is worth section;

William Van Nunen, Dean of John Leland Baptist College, who wrote the forward, is the current pastor of my first home church where I learned The Doctrines of Grace and "Church Truth", to base my life upon.

I have known Ron Crisp, Pastor of First Baptist Church who wrote the Preface, for 35 years.

 

Find link here: Berean Baptist Church - Bible Studies & Writings