"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."
The Holy Spirit bind us to Christ just in the same way as it binds the Father and the Son together in the trinity. It is through the spirit that we can be in Christ just as he is in the Father and the Father in Him (Jn 17:21). Because of this, we are no longer independent beings but interdependent, our identities being grounded in the Holy Trinity and in the Church, the Body of Christ.
The Church is the product of Jesus's work and is a continuation of his present ministry through the presence of the Holy Spirit. We belong to Christ and are bought with his blood (Col 1:16-20). Christ is the first born of the Church, its head, and priestly mediator who enables peace and fellowship with God through reconciliation.
It is inseparably linked to the Holy Spirit which binds us and animates us. The Church is not a club, but an image of the inter-relatedness of the Trinity. It is an eschatological community but not Christ's ultimate goal and is distinct from the kingdom of God. The Church's mission is to bear witness and be a witness to Christ in the present day. We are the new Temple where God dwells; a living, breathing, and moving temple that goes to the people instead of having them come to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment